An Elvish God
by The Straight Elf
Summary: Kael Mahariel has slain Urthemiel. He is dead, but hasn't passed on. The Dalish also has an eternal companion now. Follow him as he discovers his new purpose. Note: Reviews are awesome. First fic, so don't flame. Probably a few errors since this is unbetd
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Just something I wrote when I was bored. If I get positive reviews I'll continue this. So…yeah. **

**Disclaimer: Despite playing the Dragon Age games for an ungodly amount of time, I don't own it…yet.**

Kael Mahariel was watching his own funeral, as strange as that sounded. For some reason, he didn't pass through the Beyond, never walked with Falon'Din. He was dead, and had a new companion, but wasn't moving on. For now, he watched his funeral as he awaited answers.

As he stood in plain view, invisible to all, he looked over the crowd. Most were shemlin he had met over the course of the Blight, and the majority of the fools disgusted him. They were completely unable to unify without the aid of a Dalish elf, beings they had spat upon before! Instead, they had been caught up in their own petty squabbles, ignoring the Blight that ran rampant for a little more than a year after the disaster at Ostagar. Realizing he had been caught up in his thoughts, he shook his head and looked intently at his companions.

He gave a small snarl as he saw Alistair standing next to the slab of marble that held his corpse. Before the Landsmeet, he had been good friends with the weakling. After the Landsmeet, he began to feel resentment and disgust towards him, after the scene he caused. In fact, the only reason he had allowed the royal bastard to become king was because the Wardens needed all the influence they could get at the moment, and Anora was there to balance his sheer idiocy out.

The fool had abandoned the Wardens when he was most needed, all because of the recruitment of Loghain, who was standing gravely next to Leliana and Zevran. Who- Mahariel thought- was much more useful than the man-child that is Alistair Theirin, the bastard child of King Maric. Loghain Mac Tir was experienced, ruthless, and an astoundingly skilled general. Neither he nor any of the allies he had gathered over the course of the Blight had experience commanding a great number of warriors. Loghain on the other hand, had proven his worth many times as an officer, aside from Ostagar. That fact was what convinced Kael to spare the old man's life. The shemlin had proven to be something of a friend to him in the end, even tried to take the final blow against Urthemiel for him. Although, the elf mused, the old bastard might have just wanted an easy redemption. He tore his mind off Loghain and Alistair.

Standing beside Loghain were Zevran and Leliana, two of his other friends. Although Leliana had spent most of the first week attempting to draw him into religious debates, she had quickly become valued for her skills. Her lock picking abilities were particularly good, and her skills with a bow matched those of the Dalish hunters. She also knew tales of his people that not even his clan had heard. The only hitch in their friendship was when they had spoken of elves after he had broken the werewolves' curse. For nearly a month, they had avoided each other until Zevran knocked both of them out, tied them up, and left them in a tent with each other. Six hours later Wynne had found them.

For awhile Kael had been wary of Zevran, and constantly had a hand on his dagger for the first two weeks the elf had joined the band. The Dalish elf had begun to loosen up a bit around the assassin, and often arranged things so that he, Zevran, and Leliana were on guard duty at the same time. It was far better than being with Wynne. Not that the old crone was even able to take guard duty very often, considering her advanced age.

Standing behind Loghain and his two favorite rogues were other members of the party he was friendly with. While not as close to them as he was to the rogues, or even Loghain, they were still allies and friends. First was Sten. Kael empathized with the giant's devotion to his people and duty. As a Dalish, the clan was the most important thing to him. One of the only reasons he fought the Blight in the beginning was to protect his clan as they travelled north. He had even embraced some aspects of the Qun, although he would never become a devoted fanatic. Duty and becoming the very best one could be in one's position was something he admired, after all. Kael looked at Sten's feet, where Tamlen the Mabari laid with his paws covering his eyes.

He lazily scanned over the rest of his companions, and then at the filthy shemlin that were doing their best to be sad because of an elf's death. As soon as he saw the faces, he listed what he thought of them.

Arl Eamon. A manipulative bastard that attempted to get Alistair- of all people- to take the throne. Sent a child to the stables to please some Orlesian noblewoman he'd taken a liking to. Didn't shed a tear when he heard that Kael forced his wife to kill Connor.

Bann Teagan. Nice, albeit annoying shemlin. Tried to charm Leliana…and failed extravagantly. If Kael remembered correctly, the man had become so terrified of the redhead that he nearly wet himself in her presence.

Kardol of the Legion of the Dead. Powerful warrior and a great leader. Helped to break through the darkspawn blockades and took on two ogres at once to let Kael, Loghain, Leliana, and Wynne into Fort Drakon.

First Enchanter Irving. Grandfatherly old shemlin, although he had a massive amount of power at his disposal. The old man had helped quite a bit during the battle against Urthemiel, as he single-handedly held off dozens of darkspawn that had arrived to aid the archdemon, while his magi did an incredible job of distracting Urthemiel.

Finally, he found the one faction he held no anger at. While the Dalish that fought in the Blight were not his own clan, they were still his kin. The Keeper that had been appointed after Zathrian sacrificed himself, Lanaya, was one of his childhood friends from the Arlathvhen. Thanks to that connection, she had easily believed the truth about Zathrian, and instantly pledged her clan to him, and vowed to gather the other clans of Ferelden for battle.

Lanaya was a very powerful mage, on par with Morrigan even, and she was Dalish. These things made her an incredibly powerful ally. Combine that with her position and the devotion his mere name inspired into the elves who had heard of him, and the Dalish had been roused.

Marethari had also travelled to his funeral, along with several of the most skilled hunters and Ashalle. He longed to be able to reveal himself to the only living beings he gave a damn about outside of his party, but it was impossible. Instead, he merely watched as the funeral progressed, and watched in happiness as _King_ Alistair gave his people the lands of Ostagar and the surrounding area. Undoubtably, Anora's doing, Kael thought. It was impossible for the fool to have gotten over a petty grudge so quickly.

He thought on some of the problems that might occur from this gift. While the Keepers would easily mend the tears in the Veil that would have erupted around the battlefield, the darkspawn might linger in the Korcari Wilds. There was also the matter of the Blight. As it had begun in the Wilds, they were nearly obliterated by the corruption. His people would be living on dead, barren land. The only sources of food would be the beasts that ran rampant on the land, and so many of them had become corrupted. When he slew Asha'bellenar, his band had been attacked several times by blight wolves, and even by two massive bereskarns. Kael had given them relief from their suffering. Aside from hunting, his people would only be able to get food from the neighboring shemlen…who would likely try and kill the Dalish off by starvation the second they could.

For the first time since he was a child, a feeling of pure rage erupted inside him. Although he had quickly regained his composure, the living had noticed the change. Kael saw Greagoir tense up and direct a suspicious stare towards the Dalish. He couldn't hold it against the older man, however. The templar had been practically brainwashed during his training, yet still managed to keep the magi in the Tower safe from the bastards like Cullen. Should he ever see Cullen again, he would tear the bastard's heart out. Morrigan had nearly died from that sadistic bastard, and it had only been the timely intervention of Kael that she had not passed on to the Beyond. The templar had been a second away from cutting her pretty little shemlin head off.

Speaking of Morrigan...Kael turned his head towards the small dog sitting in the corner. He remembered that form well, considering it was the one she had run away in. Strangely enough, he didn't blame the witch. Kael Mahariel was the first person she could actually call friend, and from her view point it would seem as if he wanted to abandon her for glory, or some nonsense. She hadn't truly abandoned him, of course. Aside from being at his funeral, he had seen her stealthily attacking targets, and even the random blast of lightning that had forced Urthemiel to drop Kael as he was being chewed on. No, she certainly hadn't abandoned him.

The funeral dragged on for nearly another hour. When Alistair had finished talking, Anora had spoken a few words. Nothing important, of course, as it wouldn't be proper for the public to know of her deep friendship with Kael. The idiotic shemlin would be astounded! A queen and an elf had known each other as something other than master and servant! What a travesty.

Once the royal couple had left, presumably to either mourn privately or fix the pathetic state the country had been left in, in Anora's case, his companions and those close to him paid his mortal remnants respect. As the first of them began to line up in front of his corpse, which looked rather resplendent in the silverite blood dragon armor, Kael moved behind the marble slab.

It was rather disturbing to stare into your own lifeless eyes. They were the same onyx they had been before he slew Urthemiel, aside from the dull glaze of death. Absentmindedly, he stroked the long, perfect form of Starfang and the wickedly curved dagger that used to belong to Duncan. Kael looked up at the first of the mourners, and was unsurprised to see that it was Leliana. She merely closed his eyes before leaving to sob in peace. He felt vaguely guilty about not training her to become emotionally hardened, but he had wanted to protect that vulnerability, see just one happy soul during the darkness of the Blight. He would never be able to regret that.

Next was Zevran, who actually had small tears in his eyes. Kael nearly snorted. In life, he would have teased the Antivan mercilessly about that for weeks. Like the bard, Zevran did little. His fellow elf pulled out the crow dagger he had stabbed Kael with during their first encounter and laid it next to Kael.

Loghain followed. The grizzled old bastard did what the Dalish expected him to. Nevertheless, he felt honored when the great general saluted his body. Loghain Mac Tir didn't give signs of respect easily, after all.

Oghren, who was sober for the first time Kael could remember, saluted the body as well. After muttering a few words to the body, the dwarf pulled a small flask out of his pocket. Kael nearly groaned when he saw it. Oghren's Special Brew. That infernal…_thing_ left him nearly catatonic for a day, much to the amusement of his party. When the dwarf left- with teary eyes Kael might add- Shale stepped forward.

Shale raised its hand to its chin and held it in a thinking position for a moment. The golem finally said,

"I thank the elf for not being pooped out on me by the archdemon."

Kael couldn't help but snort in amusement. Not that he had expected something emotional from Shale, but it must be a sign of the golem's affection if it had to use something like that.

Sten was next and merely said "Kadan", and bowed. Kael nodded back, although he knew the qunari would be unable to see him. Stiffly, Sten of the Beresaad left the cemetery, Tamlen following behind him. Before the duo left for Seheron, Tamlen let out a mournful sounding howl that plucked at Kael's heartstrings. The dog had always had as much control over Kael as Kael had over Tamlen. They had seemed to have linked minds sometimes, and the mabari was likely confused and lost. Kael merely wished the dog would have a good life with Sten.

Wynne was the very last to see him. She had never gotten along with him, mostly due to her views on the Chantry and Circle, and both had nearly attacked the other several times before they began ignoring each other. Kael only brought the crone on missions that would require healing. As much as the Dalish loathed Wynne, he respected the control and power she had with healing magic. He had been raised alongside Merrill, and had been a test subject for many magical experiments. Kael always had a healthy respect towards magic and the difficulty of controlling it afterwards.

The old crone nodded at his corpse before walking away. Honestly, Kael was surprised she did even that. After she left, the Dalish moved forward to pay their respects. He recognized the chant they were singing, he had been reminded of it many times after Leliana decided to sing it for the camp. When it ended, they bowed and left.

Kael was alone.

"You are not alone, Warden." A soft voice called out from behind him. Kael was not surprised, he had expected this to happen during the funeral. He was shocked that his one friend hadn't attempted to take his mind off of his more depressing thoughts.

"Hello, my friend," Kael said to the being behind him.

"We are bound together, melded for eternity. You will always have my presence at your side."

Kael turned to face the exquisitely beautiful woman. The corners of his lips twitched up.

"I know, Urthemiel. Although neither of us understand what has occurred, we both know that much."

The Dalish sat down on the grassy land and stared off into the sky. Urthemiel copied him.

"That is where you are wrong, Kael. I believe I know the answer."

Kael cocked an eyebrow at her.

"Please tell, then. We might have all eternity, but I would rather not spend it waiting to be illuminated to the secrets of the gods, Urthemiel."

The Old God gave a short chuckle before she continued.

"You are an anomaly. Your body had been used as a testing ground for new magical enhancement techniques. You were implanted with a demon of desire at a young age and forced to completely absorb it into you. At the age of fifteen you were implanted with a legendary pride demon, and you absorbed it. As a result, you became a legend to the Dalish at a young age. Keeper Marethari went into unknown realms of magic with you, Kael. Not even the Tevintar dared to use such magic, so terrified they were of the results. It was attempted several times, of course. They would never leave something that had such potential alone, of course. The very nature of the Magisters demanded it. Most test subjects couldn't even handle the weakest of demons…yet you, Kael, survived the most powerful of the monstrosities."

Kael nodded. He had expected that his…alterations would play some part in this.

"I believe your soul was irrevocably changed by these events, Kael. You were far more than human or elf, yet less than a spirit or demon. The Grey Wardens that slew the…," Urthemiel shuddered, and Kael merely nodded. He knew the Old God had no desire to remember the destruction she had caused nor the sheer agony the taint caused. For the incarnation of beauty to become such a monstrosity was a terrible thing. She dipped her head in thanks and continued.

"They were ordinary mortals. Skilled and powerful, but ordinary. For all I know, my fellow Gods were truly destroyed by the clashing of souls, but I suspect they were merely freed from the torment. Their souls likely escaped their bodies and retreated into the Beyond to heal. I doubt that the soul of a mere mortal could truly destroy that of a God." Once again Kael nodded. It seemed slightly strange to him as well.

"When you freed me from my corrupted shell, our souls clashed like the other Wardens and Gods before us. Unlike them, you were far more powerful than other mortals. Instead of one soul overwhelming the other, our separate souls became bonded together. You are the true form of us, although as you can see," she pointed to herself, "I can leave you so long as you're nearby. We are nearly invulnerable alone. But you are the more powerful of us. You, Kael Mahariel, are an Old God."


	2. Chapter Two: Experiment of Desire

**A/N: I decided to continue this story. This is the first of the experiments on our Warden, and what initially changed him. So review…or else!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age. **

Kael Mahariel, who would one day be known as the Champion of Redcliffe, Hero of Ferelden, and Ender of the Fifth Blight, was currently following Ashalle to the Keeper's aravel. He was only five years old, and was rather upset at being dragged away from Tamlen and Merrill. His female friend was making lots of pretty lights, and now only Tamlen would get to see them! Even though all the other da'len wondered what was inside of their Keeper's home, he didn't think it worth missing the tricks over. Ashalle had told him there wasn't anything fun in there anyways.

He looked curiously up at his guardian, who looked very sad for some reason. Trying to cheer her up, he fished around in his pockets and found a small wooden wolf that he had carved. Before Ashalle could take another step, he tugged on her sleeve and looked up at her with sad eyes. She stopped and looked at Kael.

"Ashalle, is there something wrong?"

The female elf looked troubled for a moment, as if debating whether to tell him something or not. Finally, she simply gave a strained, nervous smile.

"I'm fine, da'len. Do not worry yourself over me."

Kael followed her as she began walking again. Internally, he was debating on whether he would give her the little wolf, since it was his new treasure. Then again, Ashalle was sad, no matter what she said. Right as the two elves reached Marethari's aravel, Kael wordlessly handed the wooden wolf to his foster mother. He felt a nice glow inside as she smiled and gave him a tight hug. After he thought Ashalle had broken his ribs, they moved into the aravel.

All the young Dalish could say was that it was…different. Not nearly as interesting or mysterious that the other da'len thought it would be. Diagrams of runes covered the wall, projecting an air of power into the small home. Several staves, made from iron bark and strong looking bones were painstakingly arranged in a corner, each glowing with magical power. A tiny bed was nestled into the far corner, and it barely looked large enough for Kael, let alone Keeper Marethari. From what he could see, the bed was the only personal thing in the aravel. Aside from it, the only surfaces were a small table and a very long desk that was completely covered by ancient elven texts, written in a shiny gold ink. His attention was torn away from his surroundings by Keeper Marethari, who seemingly appeared out of nowhere. Kael frowned at her. She looked very sad today, just like Ashalle. For a moment he merely stared at the ancient elf, before a slight nudge from Ashalle reminded the child of his manners. With a clumsy bow, he made his greetings towards the Keeper, who merely smiled sadly at him.

That annoyed the boy, who felt as if someone wasn't telling him something. He decided to get answers.

"Keeper Marethari, Ashalle, why did you call me here? I'm missing out on Merrill making the pretty lights!"

Marethari frowned a little at the mention of Merrill's activities. The dear da'len was not supposed to use magic for fun, she didn't have enough control yet. She decided to reprimand Merrill later. For now, she must tell young Kael what is about to occur.

"Da'len, you have been chosen." she said in a grave tone. Kael's ears perked up. That meant he was special! "You will become a great hero to our people, and all you have to do is one task."

Kael was practically bouncing in anticipation. He was going to be a hero! Merrill and Tamlen would be so jealous when he told them! The little elf was broken out of his reverie by Ashalle nudging him again. He looked back at Marethari.

"I will be sending you to the Beyond. When there-,"

"The Beyond! Will I see Falon'Din!"

"Listen!" the Keeper said sharply. "You will be in the Beyond. While there, you are to find a spirit that will be living inside the area you are sent to and speak to it. Do you understand?"

The boy nodded eagerly. He'd always wanted to see the old home of the Gods. Marethari sighed. She hoped the boy would survive what happened next. With a heavy heart, she told him to walk over to the bowl of lyrium on her desk and look into it. As much as she hated the Chantry and their rabid attack dogs, this ritual that she'd "borrowed" was actually useful.

Kael looked into the mesmerizing liquid and immediately felt his mind being drawn into it.

He appeared in a funny looking place with a scary statue. Kael laughed as he waved his hand. It looked strange. After waving his arms and legs for awhile, he got bored and decided to look around. The Keeper had said he needed to look for…something. Kael scrunched up his face as he tried to remember. It was a big, funny word. Not as big as Falon'Din or the other Gods' name but still big. He knew he had heard Merrill talking about the word before, but he couldn't get it. Finally, he gave up and looked around.

The Beyond wasn't very interesting, Kael thought. There wasn't even somewhere soft to sit down! All the dirt was hard and didn't feel right. All he wished for was that he had somewhere to sit. The little elf jumped as he heard a big thump from behind him and immediately turned around. A gigantic smile erupted on his face as he looked at the wooden chair with a soft looking pad that had just appeared. Even though he wasn't tired, he decided to sit down. Maybe he would be able to remember the big word later.

Kael sat down for what felt like hours, making fun things like bows and swords appear out of nowhere. He was trying to make a squirrel when he heard a woman's voice speak.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here? A little mortal in my own domain? From all of the magic I felt, I thought you would be a spirit attempting to take my territory."

The Dalish looked over at the voice and saw a very pretty purple lady with shiny white horns standing there. She didn't have many clothes on, he thought with a frown. Wanting to help her, he decided to make a huntress outfit appear on her. He also put out the scary fire that she had on her head. Ashalle told him many times that fire was bad, and he knew how much it hurt.

The lady looked surprised for a moment, before looking at the young elf with a sinister smile. Unfortunately, he couldn't tell the difference from a malicious smile and a true one. Kael gave a hesitant smile back. He wanted to be kind to the lady, but there was something simply _wrong_ with her. She gave off an air of power and…something else that Kael didn't like. Maybe she was what he was supposed to be looking for.

"Come here, little one." The woman crooned softly.

Hesitantly, Kael obeyed. She grabbed his face and stared into his eyes with her own fiery purple ones. He winced, her fingernails were long and sharp.

"Tell me, do you want anything? I can make anything you desire happen."

The young elf found himself being drawn into her eyes. They promised to let him make the pretty lights, to be the best hunter the clan had ever seen, to free his people and defeat the shemlin. Kael saw himself cutting the head off Fen'harel, the Dread Wolf, and freeing the Gods from their prisons.

"Ca-can you really make anything happen? You can bring back the Gods and help me free my clan?"

"Of course, dear child. All I ask is that you take my hand. That way we will have a deal, see?"

In the innocence and naivety of his young age, Kael took the elegant hand that was offered to him. When he came back, he would be an even bigger hero than if he had just done what the Keeper wanted! Kael was sure that the Keeper would want him to do this, everyone wanted the Gods to be freed.

He instantly felt terrible pain erupting in his hand. When he looked down, he saw the lady's fingernails digging into his tiny hand. Kael yelped and tried to pull away, but the lady smiled and dug in harder. Eventually, when he could feel the blood pouring out of his hand, the pain was dulled by a new feeling of power. When he looked at the not-so-nice lady in bewilderment, he realized that her previous smile was gone, replaced by fear. Kael continued to look at her in amazement and confusion as she was seemingly sucked into his wounds bit by bit, beginning with her fingernails and then slowly traveling up her arm. After the lady's arms were gone, she began screaming. It hurt Kael's ears very badly, but he couldn't move from the euphoric feeling of power flooding his veins.

His mind was taken off of his pain as he saw lots of pictures in his head. Kael saw every bargain, every life she had destroyed. This was a powerful Demon of Desire, known in the legends as Xebenkeck. The feeling of power was growing, and he felt even more knowledge pouring into him as the demon was seemingly absorbed. In exchange for the power, however, he lost his youthful innocence. He saw thousands of years worth of memories, each one of seduction, plotting and merciless killing. The Dalish saw as she tore entire villages apart in her host's guise, and felt the sensation of having a true body. Kael saw the unending beauty of the mortal world through the demon's eyes, and the feeling of resentment that burned inside of her as she watched the mortals who couldn't even appreciate the beauty of the sky, of the simple existence of a world that couldn't be changed by a thought alone. As horrifying as her actions were to a five-year old boy, who could barely understand them, he sympathized with her. She had been entranced by the mortal world, and would happily give every bit of her power, every second of her immortal life in exchange for a mere day in the mortal world.

Kael continued to see memories, each more disturbing and disgusting then the last. In the end, her memories threatened to dominate him, threatened to turn him into an abomination. His own memories and very being clashed in a desperate fight for survival, not willing to be a demon's pawn now that he had seen those memories. He realized that Xebenkeck would destroy his friends, his Keeper, Ashalle, everyone he knew. In the end, that thought was what allowed him to prevail over the ancient demon. The Dalish slowly remembered what he was, instead of being torn between the separate identities of a young, innocent elf boy, and an immortal monstrosity that caused destruction because of love for a world she had no part in. The memories of the demon were quashed, and left under his own.

When he opened his eyes, he realized he was still in the Beyond. Kael gave a bitter smile that had no place on such a young face. Not that he was truly Kael anymore, he reminded himself. Kael was a young, carefree child, eager to please his Keeper and completely unwary of threats. Now, he didn't know what he was. Thanks to those damned memories, he had matured quite a bit beyond his years. His personality would never be innocent or carefree after seeing the demon's memories. It had definitely altered him greatly, although he did not yet know whether it for better or for worse.

Kael stared at the vast emptiness of the Beyond. He saw it for what it was now. Anyone who was lucid here was essentially a God, bound only by their will and creativity. In the end the home of Falon'Din was nothing more than a vast nothingness, only given shape by what the spirits and demons could copy. With a sigh, Kael wiped the Beyond away, and went back to his true body.

He awoke in the Keeper's bed, and realized that the Keeper and Ashalle were speaking about something. Wanting to learn more about what had happened, he pretended to still be asleep. His ploy succeeded, and his keen ears caught every word the two women were saying.

"-know that he won't become possessed? Many experienced Keepers and their Firsts have fallen prey to demons, and they actually had the gift!" Ashalle ranted angrily.

"Do not worry, Ashalle, I am confident in the child's abilities. Such an entity cannot possess someone with the simple innocence of a child, who hold no desires for the demon to feed off of. I am positive that he will absorb the demon."

The Keeper, of course. Kael was not very happy with her right now, she had practically given him up as a sacrifice. From the demon's memories, he knew that she had fed upon children dozens of times. Every child, be it human or elf, had ambitions. Whether it was to be the best hunter or craftsman, they were still there. Many of those ambitions were discarded a day after they'd formed, but they were there, no matter how briefly. In fact, even he, a child of five years, had desires. He had seen them for himself.

Ashalle growled for a moment, and Kael had the impression that she was desiring to attack the Keeper. In fact, Kael could feel it oozing off of her. That was when he decided to intervene, this façade had gone on long enough. Just as the Dalish child felt Ashalle's desire stretch to a breaking point, he lifted his small torso up and took charge.

"Ashalle, please do not continue upon this course of action."

Both women's attention snapped toward him, and he heard a small gasp from Marethari before being tackled in a hug by his foster mother. He hugged her back, grateful to have her attention before Marethari intervened.

"Ashalle," the old Keeper exclaimed, "get away from him!"

The elf woman looked at her curiously before she looked at what Marethari was staring at: Kael's eyes. They were two flaming amathysts, burning with rage at the Keeper.

"So, Keeper," Kael said in a cold voice, "do you like what you have made of me with that experiment?"


	3. Chapter 3: Meeting Asha'bellanar

**A/N: You know, I'm really getting depressed without reviews. If any of you have ever seen the hobo episode from South Park, it's kind of like that. Instead of using change for sustenance, I use reviews. So if you have a heart, review!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age. Depressing isn't it?**

Kael had continued to be a constant presence to his friends, although he was far more subdued and acted more like a parent or older than a normal friend. He managed to keep the da'len in line, and had begun to be taught in secret by Keeper Marethari to control his new powers. Things had become far more complicated for him, as the demon he had absorbed allowed him to know the desires of everyone around him. For the children, this was no problem since their desires usually revolved around becoming the best hunter in the clan or taking their old lands back from the shemlin conquerors. For the adults however…well Kael would have blushed if he had known half of the things that went through the lead hunter's mind, at least if he hadn't had the experience of viewing Xebenchek's countless seductions. Now, while slightly annoying due to the frequency of such desires, the young elf merely found it amusing. Thanks to the demon, the elf had gained the sort of cunning that could only be acquired through millennia of manipulation. That skill was only enhanced by the ability of desire demons to know the desires of those around them. At the moment, he could see how a few wrongly spoken words could set an entire section of the clan against the other, or unify it completely for a few years.

Other than his newfound skills, the secret training he was undergoing with his Keeper was increasing his power of the mortal realm by quite a bit. Considering that he was technically an "abomination", as the shemlin Chantry so eloquently put it, he had gained magic. Although he had not put it to practice yet, he was aware of the consequences of gaining tight, unfailing control over it. Spirits and demons were beings of pure will and magic, and to have the power of one at your disposal was an incredible thing. He had seen dozens of memories where Xebenchek's victims had fallen to her will, and all that remained of the areas they traveled to were bones, ash, and destruction.

That was why Marethari had impressed upon him the importance of control and discipline, although he had known such things already through the demon's memories. Now, he was able to channel his power, and use it to send suggestions to his clan mates, as well as influence their desires if he so chose. While he felt a great deal of resentment towards Marethari for what she had done to him, he knew that there was no going back and that he needed to use the most of this rather unique opportunity. Besides, the lessons were entertaining.

Thanks to the lessons, the burning purple eyes he had gained from the absorption of the demon had receded as he gained control, leaving him with his own onyx eyes. Not that he minded, Kael would much rather be slightly inconspicuous. Purple eyes tended to draw attention, after all. So far, he hadn't noticed many changes to him physically, although he had noticed his mental changes as soon as the absorption had occurred. Shifting from the mindset of a five-year old to a mix between said five-year old and an eons old demon was a rather dramatic change.

His lessons continued under Keeper Marethari for four years. During that time, he learned everything she knew of magic and its manipulation. He learned how to boil a dozen templars inside their own armor with nary a thought, how to heal the most grievous of injuries, and how to suck the mana out of another mage. He learned lessons on how to greet a shemlin lord, and how to hide his magical aura from the Chantry's rapid attack dogs, more commonly known as templars. It wouldn't do to have a templar attempt to smite him on sight, not that it would be very effective.

It was obvious to Kael that he was being trained for some sort of massive event, most likely a war. For what reason would he have to greet a greedy shemlin noble otherwise? He had never planned upon becoming friends with them unless absolutely needed for the sake of his people.

Kael didn't need to worry about those things for now, however. The Keeper was leading him somewhere into the Wilds. She was acting disturbingly abnormal however, and it slightly concerned him. Marethari was always in control, and always confident in herself. The old elf had kept herself perfectly composed during one of his old rages, in which his demonic side would appear and begin to cause the ambient magic in the surrounding area to react, causing chaos within his immediate vicinity. That had not occurred in two years, as the Keeper had trained him in controlling his emotions in order to keep a similar event from happening.

His keen ears were detecting the Keeper mutter under her breath.

"Need to teach the boy…but is it worth showing him to her? The power will be needed for the coming days…but should he not learn other magic first? No, he carries no threat of demonic possession…yet I feel unsettled by this. She will…"

The old Keeper rambled on like this for several more minutes, until both of the Dalish felt a subtle increase in the ambient magic surrounding them. Both stiffened, although Marethari began to conjure a weak arcane spell.

Kael raised an eyebrow. The Keeper was an incredibly powerful mage, capable of keeping Kael on his toes despite his incredible power and knowledge. She had more than enough raw power to duel the First Enchanter of the Circle of Magi, and enough skill and experience to easily destroy the old man. While her frail appearance masked her strength, Kael knew enough that she was more than capable of conjuring two firestorms while still lashing out with the occasional lightning or frost spell. That she was only using an arcane spell barely capable of burning a shemlin meant that it was more of a…warning, if anything.

The nine-year old proved to be correct in his assumption as a small cottage seemed to appear out of thin air. He looked around in wonderment. Wards that powerful required years of experience in ancient magic to conjure, as well as an amount of power that could normally only be found by making a deal with a demon. Just then, he felt the hair on the nape of his neck stand on end. Something that simply oozed out power that screamed _demon _had appeared, and Kael found himself preparing to unleash his deadliest attacks, although the being would most likely tear him to shreds with a flick of their hand.

"Well, well. What have we here?"

Kael shivered a bit. That reminded him far too much of Xebenchek when he first met her. He turned around to see the voice, expecting to see an abomination that was a mere mockery of the human form. He was rather surprised, then, when he saw the form of an old lady not much larger than his Keeper walking towards them with an amused smile on her face. While the old woman seemed weak, the dark power that oozed off of her in waves said otherwise. Kael remained cautious, although Keeper Marethari seemed to have relaxed.

"It is I, Asha'bellanar" Marethari spoke. Kael was stunned. Even he had thought the being a mere legend, made to scare the da'len. That she was actually existed, and was in his immediate area, only increased the paranoia he was feeling.

Asha'bellanar strode forward, glancing at Kael with curious eyes before returning her golden gaze to the Keeper.

"Ah, Keeper Marethari. It has been far too long since I have seen you, child." Marethari looked as if she were about to send a response back, but a sharpening of Asha'bellanar's golden gaze caused her to hold back. Asha'bellanar continued. "Now, after two dozen years, you return. With a child, no less."

Kael grew disinterested in the so-called "pleasantries" quickly. It consisted of Asha'bellanar speaking and Marethari being intimidated. Despite himself, Kael smirked. He'd never thought he would see the day that the powerful, ancient, and wise Keeper of the Sarabei Clan would ever be in a situation that showed any of her rare weaknesses.

Bored, he began to scan his surroundings. If the powerful old woman was half as cunning as the old tales claimed, she was sure to have some other sort of defenses. Leaving her safety to magic as capricious as wards would be foolish, she likely had a multitude of other defenses, such as demons or even a dragon. That would certainly be a sight.

The Dalish nearly gave a start when he saw a small shadow prowling inside of the vegetation nearby, looking as if it were stalking him. He gave an imperceptible smirk and waited. As soon as the shadowy form began to creep behind him silently, he prepared to fight. Using a very handy ability he'd learned from Marethari, he channeled a tiny amount of his magic to his ears, which caused his already keen ears to become as sensitive as a dog's. With the overpowered sense, he could hear the small noises and cracks coming from the shape as it prepared to pounce. Kael's body was nearly trembling in anticipation. When the small form leaped at his back, he began to put the simple plan he'd come up with into action.

With a smooth motion, he twisted and grabbed the form's throat with a hand, which was greatly strengthened by his magic. When the form- it was a wolf, he noted- began to struggle, he applied slightly more pressure. He stared into the wolf's eyes, which were a shade of gold exactly like Asha'bellanar's, and allowed his eyes to flicker purple for a moment. Intimidation was such a wonderful thing, and it showed its results as the wolf's eyes widened in fear. With a weak pushing spell, he forced the wolf down to the ground. He altered its weight, leaving it nearly crushed to the forest floor. Now that the wolf was defenseless, Kael examined it. There was an air of magic around the beast that suggested it was a shape shifting mage. The Keeper had spoken to him about them, but they were so rare he never thought that he would actually see one. Fortunately, he knew exactly how to force the mage out of this form.

He aimed his hand at the wolf and felt around in the area for its mind. After finding it, he made a small connection and forced a massive amount of mana through, which burned out the other mage's reserve. A blinding white flash illuminated the area, and where the wolf had been a mere moment ago a young girl, the same age as Kael, sat. Kael merely cocked an eyebrow at her as she glared up at him balefully. The Dalish offered the girl a hand, but she stood herself up. He shrugged and turned around to observe Marethari and Asha'bellanar. A small feeling of nervousness crept inside of him as he saw the bemused stare of Keeper Marethari, who was alternating between looking proud and horrified.

Asha'bellanar, on the other hand, looked slightly impressed, as well as highly amused as she looked at Kael. For a moment she seemed to reevaluate him, before turning her eyes onto the girl, who was sulking in the background. When she saw the girl, her golden eyes became hard. The old woman wordlessly cast a spell, and watched impassively as the girl writhed on the ground, screaming soundlessly. Kael winced, although he made no move to help the girl. It was not his place to interfere in the destiny of others without reason. Not that he was very willing to go against a being like Asha'bellanar in the first place. He suspected that she was even more powerful than he was, and had at least half a millennium more experience than he did. Stopping her from hurting her own daughter or apprentice was a pointless reason to cause conflict.

Finally, after more than a minute of the mind-breakingly painful spell, Asha'bellanar let the girl up. Kael once again offered his hand to the girl, only to have it refused. He sighed, some people could be so rude. His thoughts were torn off of that as he heard Marethari saying her goodbyes.

Kael's brow furrowed. She wasn't leaving him here, was she? He focused heavily on Marethari's eyes, and began to delve into her mind. The young Dalish grimaced. It seemed that he would be left here for three years, and then be brought back to the clan. He resolved to learn as much as he could while he was here. It wasn't every day one was allowed to train under Asha'bellanar, after all.

His attention returned to the Keeper, who looked vaguely guilty.

"I know you have delved into my mind, da'len. You know what is to come, correct?"

Kael nodded. What Marethari had put him through would pale in comparison to what Asha'bellanar would have him do. The old Keeper had requested that she make him into the best he could be, and he had no doubt that the old woman would achieve that.

"Then goodbye, da'len. We will miss you."

The Dalish watched as his Keeper walked into the Wilds. He knew he should be feeling some sort of emotion at the moment, but he couldn't. Perhaps he was simply numb. Asha'bellanar watched as the Dalish Keeper left before she turned her attention towards him.

He made it a point to be attentive to the old woman. Perhaps she could teach him about his more…malicious powers. Asha'bellanar simply reeked of demonic power, and he was hard-pressed to not inch away. If there was anything he had learned over the years of training with Marethari it was to never show fear. Fear merely invited your enemies to encroach upon you. Asha'bellanar was said to be the very Incarnation of the Wild, and as such would likely latch upon his fear the second it was exposed. Kael didn't dare to try and sense the old woman's desires. She would likely sense him the moment he even thought about it.

She stared at him with those unnervingly golden eyes. He met them with his own onyx ones. At least they used to be onyx. He felt the power pouring out of him as he met Asha'bellanar's eyes. Kael knew at the moment that his eyes were a burning amethyst, and likely had a small amount of purple flame dancing around him. Asha'bellanar looked surprised at this point, although she wore a mask of amusement over it.

"You are like me, I see. I never would have thought dear Marethari would possess the ruthlessness to throw you against a demon of desire. If Marethari was being honest with me, child, then you are already far more advanced than little Morrigan.

While you are here, you will be learning blood magic as well as how to use your powers from me. Morrigan," here she nodded to the little raven-haired girl, "will be teaching you how to change your form."

Asha'bellanar gave a mysterious smile, something Kael was unnerved by.

"You have a great destiny, Kael Mahariel. Do your best to not muck it up, you are a rather important investment on my part."

The old woman left Kael and Morrigan alone. It was awkward at first, before Kael decided to read her desires. He focused on her mind, and made the connection. Kael inwardly smirked as he learned what she desired. All the cold little girl wanted was a friend, to be loved unconditionally by anyone. His cunning came to the surface, and he decided to become that person. Little Morrigan was a rather extraordinarily powerful mage, after all. She would never rise to his or Asha'bellanar's level, but even Marethari would be hard-pressed to defeat the girl when she was fully trained.

With a confident smile, he walked over to Morrigan, who was sitting on a stump several feet away from him.

"Aneth ara, Morrigan. My name is Kael Mahariel of the Sabrie Clan."


	4. Chapter 4: Tainted

**A/N: Come on people, review! It only takes like five seconds to say if you hate it or you like it. Anyways, here's the next chapter. I'm about to be going into the Blight, and all chapters from here on will be either during or after the Blight. Some things will be explained in flashbacks, or in another story.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age. Bioware does, and they'd better make Dragon Age 3 a whole lot better than they did the 2****nd**** installment. **

Kael winced as he landed lightly on the forest floor. He had been tricked into having another demon- a Demon of Pride at that- implanted into him last night. Although he had succeeded in absorbing the ancient beast, it had taken a huge toll upon his body.

Oh, he could feel the raw power he had gained both physically and mentally, but his body was feeling very fragile at the moment. And when you're a highly skilled Dalish hunter the situation is very inconvenient. Particularly when you are required to aid your lethallan, who has a strange penchant for discovering shemlin lurking about. Somehow, Tamlen had discovered the only shemlin that were either stupid or brave enough to make a foray into known Dalish territory.

Stifling a groan, he swiftly slung his bow out and aimed an arrow at one of the shemlin. Kael rolled his eyes as the fool gave a pathetic sounding squeak. Honestly, weren't most humans reckless and idiotic? He'd half-expected the shemlin to call him a filthy knife-ear and try to attack him. To be honest, he would have preferred that situation. At least then he wouldn't have to listen to Tamlen's theatrics. Kael covered a sigh as his lethallan began his normal intimidation routine. He only half-listened, more concerned with keeping an eye on the shemlin. It wasn't until he saw Tamlen taking a carving with clearly defined Elvish inscriptions on it that he was drawn into the confrontation.

"Tamlen," he said sharply, glaring at the blonde elf, "I know far more about Elvish than you, my friend. Prepare to shoot the shemlin if they do anything stupid."

Tamlen nodded his assent, and momentarily lowered his bow as he handed the invaluable carving to the other elf. The shemlins' reaction was immediate. Each quickly tried to sprint away from the scene, although they were clearly having difficulty running through the forest's undergrowth. Kael quickly took the carving, and glared at each of the shemlin.

The humans looked stunned as roots erupted from the ground and entangled their legs. They were even more surprised when the roots began to drag them painfully back to the elves. Each of them was shaking in fear as they stared at the lead elf, whose eyes were glowing with an ethereal golden light.

"Now, now, little shemlen, why are you so eager to run. I have no desire to harm you unless you harm my clan. Life is a precious thing, after all, and unlike most I am not eager to destroy it."

Tamlen smirked. He had to admit, the glowing eyes were overdoing it a bit, but combined with the demonic voice his lethallan was absolutely terrifying. Although to him, who had seen the same routine many times, it was merely amusing. The Dalish watched on as his friend continued to terrify the shemlin.

He snorted, Kael might have thought his lethallan had a passion for theatrics, but it was nothing compared to Kael himself. After what seemed like forever, one of the filthy shemlin worked up the courage to say something.

"Filthy abomination! When we get the templars, you and your clan will be destroyed by the Chantry, and good riddance!"

Kael merely raised an eyebrow. After returning from his lessons with Asha'bellanar, very few people had dared to threaten him. He decided to worm the information out of the humans. His clan could benefit greatly from a trove of Elven artifacts, and Marethari might stop putting demons inside of him if he could prove himself. Although it might have been dangerous for him, Kael had seen the calculating shine in the Keeper's eyes as he awoke from his battle with the Pride Demon. The fact that his body would probably disintegrate from excess magic didn't concern her very much, naturally. Kael, however, valued his own personal safety enough to take any steps needed to avoid that fate.

"Humans, I do not have time for your foolishness. Your templars are no threat to me, and any attempt to assault my clan would end in an utter decimation of your Chantry. Please tell me where you found this artifact. If you do not, I will be forced to rip the information from your mind."

His eyes narrowed, although he was inwardly pleased at how well he could pull of his Asha'bellanar impression. As insane as the old woman could be, she was certainly menacing when she wanted to be. It was an invaluable trait when dealing with fools, as Kael had seen many times.

These humans were the perfect example of aforementioned fools, in fact. If they had looked past his act at all, they would see that he was completely bored. Luckily for the shemlin, however, they gave up the information rather quickly. After he learned all he needed to go, he gave Tamlen a signal that commanded him to kill the shemlin.

Although he meant what he said when he talked about killing them being a waste, the poor bastards knew far too much. Kael had no doubts that they would be running off to their Chantry as soon as they returned home, and that was simply something he could not allow. Although the elf was confident in his clan's ability to defend itself, he wanted as few casualties as possible. Unfortunately for the shemlin, however, these three would be those casualties.

He watched impassively as Tamlen fired an arrow straight through one of the shemlin's neck. The other two froze and turned around, just in time to see another arrow from Tamlen and an entropy spell from Kael fly towards them. One of the humans ducked, and narrowly dodged the arrow with a yelp. The other was not so lucky. Kael's spell hit dead on, and drained the man of his life. All that was left was a shriveled up husk. Kael gave a predatory grin as he felt energy from the fallen man flow through him.

Tamlen had immediately aimed another arrow and let it fly. The last shemlin felt an arrow pierce his heart, and then died.

Both Dalish strode over to the bodies.

"Say, lethallan, what are we going to do with these?" Kael replied with a grin. He flicked his wrist, and dragged Tamlen out of the way just as a fireball fell from the sky and burned everything around the bodies into a fine layer of ash.

"That was…effective. Perhaps we should kill filthy shemlin more often."

Kael sighed at his friend's attitude. Although he had no love for shemlin himself- aside from Morrigan and Asha'bellanar, of course- he didn't believe in actively hunting them. As strong as the Dalish were, the humans outnumbered them a thousand times over. Instead of arguing, Kael simply grabbed Tamlen and followed the shemlins' instructions.

Kael could feel the demonic taint in the cave as soon as they entered. There was something else he could feel as well. It wasn't demonic, although it felt a little like it, and felt oily. Like something that should never have existed. He repressed a shudder and moved on. There was no reason to warn Tamlen if he didn't even know what was causing the taint. Another thing was bothering him as well. The oily taint seemed to be connected to the Beyond, and he was able to hear whispers. As they advanced through the cave, the whispers became even more pronounced.

He remained paranoid, but continued on like normal as they swathed through the shriveled, burnt corpses of the giant spiders- courtesy of Kael's fireballs. The Dalish was so focused on the foreign taint that he completely forgot about the familiar demonic one. It was only when they arrived in a hall filled to the brim with corpses when he realized his mistake. The second the duo had entered, a massive spike of demonic power filled the room, and Kael could only shout for Tamlen to prepare himself before a dozen possessed skeletons charged at them.

Kael reached into his mana reserves and "yanked". A small smirk adorned his face as a wave of demonic fire burst from his hand. Even Tamlen looked slightly awed as the possessed skeletons were blasted into ash.

Both elves carefully treaded through the hall until they saw an ancient looking statue. Tamlen reached out to touch it, but Kael quickly stopped him.

"Tamlen," he hissed, ", we just fought possessed corpses! We need to be careful and not touching everything that looks shiny." Tamlen rolled his eyes, but nodded nonetheless. He watched in amusement as Kael started marveling over the statue, muttering under his breath about details and such.

"Not Fen'harel…Falon'Din, perhaps? The wings suggest that it is a Creator that travels…"

Tamlen began to search the piles of ash for any trinkets. While he was as fascinated with lore and history as any other Dalish, he could just get all the details from Kael later. He decided that he might as well be doing something useful. The blonde continued to search for anything interesting. All he found was a weakly enchanted amulet in an ash pile and a few elf-flight arrows. The Dalish stood up from the urn he had gathered the arrows from, and walked straight into a grinning Kael. Tamlen yelped, and would have fallen over were it not for Kael's quick reflexes.

The blonde elf scowled at Kael as the abomination snickered. An annoyed Tamlen went into the next chamber, where his jaw dropped in astonishment. Standing in front of him was an enchantingly beautiful mirror, seemingly untouched despite the tarnished surroundings. Tamlen began to walk forward, feeling an urgent need to touch it, to heed the beautiful song coming from it. As if in a trance, he stared at it, not even noticing the ripples that seemed to be spreading through the glass.

"So beautiful…" Tamlen muttered. Just as he reached to lay his hand on the beautiful mirror, he heard a rather irritating voice call out for him.

"Tamlen, what the in the name of the Creators are you doing? That damn thing is practically oozing…something."

The blonde ignored him. Something so beautiful could not possibly be dangerous. Kael was just being paranoid. He could hear the mirror calling for him, and he yearned to just touch it and feel the song flow through him. Tamlen stepped forward.

Kael was feeling a myriad of emotions. First was anger. His oldest friend was being a fool, and he feared there was nothing he could do to stop it. He didn't know any magic that could keep Tamlen from touching the mirror, which had a disgustingly oily aura that gave off an enchanting whisper to his magical-attuned senses.

Second was fear. He couldn't lose his best friend, the one constant in his life. Tamlen had been his best friend since they were da'len, and he refused to lose him to a bloody mirror, of all things.

Lastly was confusion. He had no idea what the oily corruption was, all he knew that it was far worse than any demonic taint. Demons could barely reach into this world. Even then, they could only taint and corrupt living things. Whatever was being emanating from this mirror, though, would taint the entire world if left unhindered.

Kael reached out his hand, and began to shoot out an arcane missile, in a last attempt to remove the damned mirror's influence from Tamlen. The elf could feel the power gathering in his hands, preparing to destroy the mirror. He could feel it beginning to release, the crackle of the pure mana music to his ears.

It fizzled out.

Kael didn't even have time to wonder what had happened when a wave of the oily taint washed over him. He wanted to scream out in rage and confusion. Why did this happen to him! Kael could feel the taint reaching into him, latching into his body. He could feel it as it slowly began to worm its way into his bones. It felt dirty as it infected him. For a moment he struggled, trying to throw off the taint.

He fell unconscious.

Every now and then, Kael flickered into consciousness, only to lose it a second later. Finally, he saw a dark-skinned shemlin standing over him with worried eyes. Kael tried to say something, but the only thing that came out of his dry mouth was a bestial snarl.

The shemlin's eyes widened and his lips began moving. Kael could tell he was saying something, he just couldn't figure it out.

Kael slipped back into unconsciousness.


	5. Chapter 5: The Joining

**A/N: Still waiting on those reviews...anyways, here's the next chapter. By the way, sorry if there are a few mistakes, I just run the chapters through Word's spell check before posting it. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age, and I don't see myself owning it anytime in the future. **

Kael crept through the Korcari Wilds, slightly irritated at the Wardens' behavior. Daveth was the only one moving with a modicum of stealth, and he made up for the achievement by arguing loudly with Ser Jory. They had been wandering around through these Creator-damned Wilds all day, and they still hadn't found the treaties. The group had found the darkspawn blood quickly enough, although Kael had to constantly fight down nausea in their presence. Those abominations oozed out as much of that oily taint as the mirror. Although it seemed none of his companions could truly feel the true power of that awful taint, it was clear that they hated the spawn as much as he did.

Alistair, he noted, could feel the taint to some extent. Since he wasn't connected to the Beyond, he couldn't feel the full effects. The blonde shemlin- who reminded him painfully of Tamlen- didn't seem to be engulfed in the oily feeling, or else was very good at hiding it.

He winced as he heard the painfully loud movements of the shemlin. Whoever decided to allow the warriors to wear that damn armor would be paying for it. Aside from constantly putting him on guard due to the loud clanks, it was very impractical for venturing out into the Wilds. Kael had spent three years in these Wilds, and not once had he thought someone would be idiotic enough to explore in heavy armor.

As of today, he stood corrected.

"Why are we out here anyways, we should be preparing for battle!"

Kael sighed. It seemed Jory had decided to whine once more. The Dalish hadn't spent those years with Asha'bellanar and dear Morrigan without picking elements of their personalities up. It was times like these he wished it wouldn't be so impolitic to tell the shemlin his true feelings. Instead, he had to let the cowardly knight off with a dangerous glare.

After another hour of travelling, Kael was beginning to get worried. He was never allowed to venture to Ostagar, and therefore knew little of the area he was in. It wouldn't do for the entire party to die, after all. Not only would he die, it would also reflect poorly upon his abilities. He couldn't allow that, of course. His eyes began darting around the area, looking for any Tevintar ruins. Kael had seen some of the white stone the Tevintars so loved, but nothing substantial enough for the base of a tower. The closest he had gotten was when the party was attacked by darkspawn half an hour ago. Several crumbling walls were in place, but it didn't appear to be part of a tower.

Kael soon fell into the monotone of walking, although he continued to scan the area every now and then. After another half-hour, he froze. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the blonde Warden do the same. He could feel the oily taint that meant one thing- darkspawn.

Looking up, he saw that there were twelve loitering around a hillside. Kael grimaced when he saw that several of them held barbaric bows. Although they might be poorly crafted, those bows were powerful. When combined with the barbed arrowheads the spawn used, which were often dipped in darkspawn blood to poison them, they were downright deadly.

That was when he saw the Hurlock Alpha. Eight feet tall, heavily armored, and immensely powerful in combat. Not to mention that it held a massive, razor sharp axe that would cut through his leather armor like it was butter. Kael had only one previous encounter with one of the abominations, and that was on the road with Duncan. The two had been ambushed, and Kael had experienced first-hand how quickly the darkspawn could wield those massive weapons. In the end, he managed to kill it with a powerful fireball to the chest.

Kael held up a hand, and put the other on his face. He didn't want the darkspawn to know they were there. Drawing upon the strategy training Marethari had given him, he made a simple plan.

"Daveth," he hissed, "I need you to take out the archers. Use that bow you're always bragging about, and get them out of the fight as quickly as possible. Once that's done, turn your bow on any that we're still fighting.

"Jory, take up my right flank and try to keep any of the bastards on that side away from me. You know how to use that monstrosity you call a sword better than I do, so just do what you will. And make sure you don't get hit by those arrows. Your armor is the worst waste of metal I've ever seen." Jory glared at the last remark, but nodded nonetheless.

"Alistair, you get the dubious honor of keeping my left side guarded. Same orders as Jory."

Kael unsheathed his Dar'Missan and Dar'Misu. He smiled softly at the blades. They were given to him upon the completion of his martial training, and were made of extremely high quality ironbark. Marethari's little experiment could only have the best, after all.

He was yanked out of his memories by Ser Jory, who was saying something. Not that Kael particularly cared, mind you, but it was best to be on somewhat decent terms with your warriors.

"-and what are you going to be doing? Running through the darkspawn so that you can get the treaties?"

Kael grinned predatorily.

"No, my dear knight, I'm going to take on the Alpha."

When he saw Jory's expression, which reminded him of a fish out of water, he decided to put any fears out of the balding man's head.

"Trust me, Jory; it's not a great or glorious thing to do. For one thing, you get darkspawn blood on your clothes. Another bad part of the job is that you have a high chance of dying. Unless you're me, of course."

Jory sighed. Daveth and Alistair snorted at the blatant arrogance.

Then they set the plan into motion. Kael set his onyx eyes on the Alpha, silently measuring it up. Once he had an idea of where the Alpha's weak points were, he charged up the hill.

Kael moved his head to avoid a vicious looking arrow, and saw an arrow of Daveth's land in the hurlock's neck in return. A cruel snarl adorned his face as he sliced a genlock's head off. On his left, he saw Alistair slam the edge of his shield into a hurlock's thick chest. He winced as the hurlock gave a bestial roar and slammed its mace into the Warden's shield, leaving a large dent. That recoil definitely didn't feel good.

That was when he saw the Alpha nearing him. After checking that both Jory and Alistair were holding up, he met the massive darkspawn in a head on charge, barely ducking a powerful swing of the axe. Kael swung the Dar'Missan towards the hurlock's armored chest, only to angle it towards one of the joints in its armor a second later. The hurlock- which was too slow to avoid the attack- roared in fury as the armor tore slightly. After another vicious swing from its axe, which Kael neatly avoided, it tried a different strategy.

It kicked at Kael, forcing the elf back. Once Kael was distracted, it showed a rare instance of cunning and swung the axe again, only to release it mid swing. The elf ducked, and flinched slightly as he heard Jory's scream of pain. In the split second Kael was vulnerable, the hurlock charged him. Surprised, the elf barely managed to dodge before the massive horns on its helmets would have gored him.

Kael enhanced his right leg with magic and lashed out with a vicious kick at the charging darkspawn. A small smile of satisfaction adorned his face as he saw the hurlock thrown to the side.

Once he was sure the hurlock was down for the moment, he scanned over the skirmish. None of his companions were seriously injured, although Jory had a thick dent in his armor, which was leaking a bit of blood. Alistair looked to be fine, despite the fact he was covered in blood. Daveth…well he had no idea where Daveth was skulking.

There were only three darkspawn left, not including the Alpha. Kael decided to remedy that. He walked over to the Alpha's body, and examined it carefully. After the trick it just pulled, he wasn't going to treat it as the average animalistic darkspawn. Walking to the head of the beast, Kael raised his Dar'Missan and swung it downwards at its exposed neck.

The Alpha's head, still glaring balefully through the slits of its helmet, rolled down the hill. Kael grinned in triumph, and noticed happily that his companions had finished off the remaining darkspawn. He motioned for them to move towards the massive base of the Tevintar tower, which was now visible.

He focused intently on his surroundings as his companions spoke eagerly about the battle. A sneer graced his lips as he listened to them. They were certainly fools if they thought that was a true fight. He had seen the great battles of the past from the demons' memories, and they tended to blemish his perceptions on war. Kael supposed they had a right to be happy, but they needed to focus. He refused to die because a few idiot shemlin couldn't get over their giddiness.

Kael's sharp eyes focused on a rusty chest that was nestled securely in between a few fallen rocks.

"Alistair, Jory, open the chest. Daveth and I will keep watch."

Both men hurried forward. Kael continued to look around, constantly feeling as if something was wrong.

It was when he heard the groans of disappointment from the two men that he knew his suspicions were true. As soon as the noise escaped the duo, he felt the distinctive feel of shape shifting magic surround them. He grinned as he realized who it was. Kael began staring at the wall the magic originated from, his grin getting even wider as a figure he thought he would never see again appeared, walking arrogantly from behind the wall.

"Well, well, what have we here?" Morrigan said, golden eyes glinting in barely reigned amusement. "Three men and a Dalish, how interesting."

Kael said nothing. He assumed she was playing a game of some sort with the shemlin. Normally dear Morrigan would have at least thrown a lightning bolt in greeting.

"Are you a vulture, I wonder, a scavenger poking amongst a corpse whose bones were long since cleaned? Or merely an intruder, coming to these darkspawn-filled Wilds of mine in search of easy prey?"

The shemlin were nearly wetting themselves in fright, Kael noted. Although there was much to fear from Morrigan, she wouldn't throw anyone in a pot and then feast upon their remains. Not that he had ever seen, at least. His attention snapped back to the witch.

"What say you, hmm? Scavenger or intruder?"

Kael smirked at her.

"My dear woman," he said in an infuriatingly polite tone, "I fail to see how these are your Wilds. Besides, I can't honestly say that I planned on being either. We're merely here to reclaim lost property."

Morrigan managed to control her annoyance, he realized. That was a shame, it was oh-so easy to rile her up six years ago. He decided to try another tactic. It was quite fun to see the witch lose control.

"I must say, I don't believe I am the proper one of this party to be addressing one such as you. In fact, I'm not even a true Grey Warden yet! Perhaps you should speak to Alistair, our very own Grey Warden and esteemed leader!"

Kael barely contained a snicker at the surprised expression on her face. He took that moment to shove Alistair in her direction, ignoring the blonde's surprised protests.

After that, he sat back and watched the resulting show.

By the end of it, Morrigan was practically dragging him behind her, Alistair had singed hairs all over him from a "misplaced" fireball, and Jory and Daveth were trying to stay as far away from the irate witch as possible. Kael was grinning wildly. Apparently, speaking with Alistair was too much for her to handle…he would have to remember that.

The hair on the back of his neck stood up as the group passed Asha'bellanar's wards. A slight sense of apprehension came over him as he saw the familiar form of the old...whatever Asha'bellanar was. It would be rather handy to know, since he was the exact same kind of being.

He shivered as her eerily golden eyes swept over him nonchalantly. Even if he could possess the same eyes, now that he had a Pride Demon's essence inside of him, it was still disturbing.

Oh well, at least he knew that he should act like he had no idea who the witches were. Neither Morrigan nor Asha'bellanar would ever ignore him, he had become close to Morrigan over the years he spent with the old witch, and Asha'bellanar had something resembling affection for him.

Probably something to do with the demons inside of me, he thought.

The rest of the conversation went by quickly. It mostly consisted of Jory and Daveth nearly wetting themselves in fear of Asha'bellanar, Alistair stumbling over words, and Kael being unfailingly polite. In the end, the only sign that Kael had had any previous association with the witches was an amused smirk on Asha'bellanar's face as they left with Morrigan.

Morrigan left the party at the gates just as night fell upon Ostagar. Kael told the others to go on; he had a wonderfully massive war dog to heal.

He strode up to the kennels, glaring balefully at any of the filthy shemlin foolish enough to think he was some flat-ear servant. How idiotic were the shemlin? He was wearing armor and had two viciously curved blades on his back, for Andruil's sake!

After sending a bit of his demonic presence to any foolish enough to attempt to stop him, the elf made it to the kennels very quickly. A grimace was on his face as he saw the dog; Kael could feel the taint still within his body flare whenever he was near the great beast. Quite frankly, he was more than ready for this Joining Duncan had spoken about. It was rather irritating to have that disgusting oily taint wash over you whenever you were around others with the taint. Hopefully the Joining would remedy that.

Kael walked up to the Kennel Master and handed him the flower. The next time he was among his people, he would strike the first Dalish to claim that humans couldn't feel affection for creatures of the wild. The expression on the man's face as he gingerly took the flower was nearly heartbreaking.

"You…you found it! My thanks, Warden."

"It was little trouble. Do not worry about paying me, or any such nonsense. Just remember to speak to me about the poor bastard after the battle."

After the man nodded in the affirmative, Kael left to Duncan's fire. The sooner he could get that damned taint out of him the happier he would be. Although his own demonic taint helped to dampen the effects quite a bit, Kael could feel the darkspawn taint clawing at his flesh and soul. He knew that he was beginning to take on the first effects of the taint, and that he couldn't possibly last much longer.

Kael shook himself out of his thoughts. If he were lucky, he would never need to think about this subject ever again.

He followed the dark skinned man to the Temple.

He listened to Jory and Daveth bicker.

He saw Alistair's nervous expression.

He heard Alistair's words.

Alistair spoke solemnly.

"Since the first, these words have been spoken at the ceremony: Join us, brothers and sisters. Join us in the shadows where we stand vigilant. Join us as we carry the duty that cannot be forsworn. And should you perish, know that your sacrifice will not be forgotten. And that one day we shall join you."

He listened to the whispers that emerged from the goblet that was filled with the blood of an abomination worse than any demon. The taint that rolled off of the blood was much stronger than any he had ever felt. Unlike the taint in ordinary darkspawn blood, which whispered to him, this taint roared in bestial fury, releasing all the madness and darkness that was inherent in the taint.

Kael watched as Daveth courageously took the goblet and drank from it. He could feel the taint burn its way through him, overwhelming the body that had taken it in. He could feel as the life left Daveth to flee into the Beyond.

May Falon'Din have mercy upon the poor bastard, he thought.

Kael watched as Jory cowardly attempted to resist. He watched impassively as Duncan gutted the foolish knight.

Kael watched as Duncan, still bloody from the altercation with Jory, handed him the goblet. He looked into the blood, which was as black as his eyes. The elf heard the roar and the whispers, and drank deeply.

He felt the burning pain that Daveth felt. It forced him to his knees, and very nearly knocked him out. That was when he felt the Song burst through his mind, filling it with an unearthly beauty. He didn't lose himself in it, as the darkspawn did, however. The taint reemerged and took precedence over his mind. The Song was nothing more than a weak undertone to the pain.

Kael knew he screamed as the taint that had rooted itself inside of him melded with the foreign taint of the Joining. He felt like acid was burning its way through him, but could never finish its job. Kael saw the Archdemon, in all of its mad fury.

Unlike most, who would have hated the abomination, Kael pitied it. It was not a monstrosity due to its own will, it was nothing more than an unwilling slave, forced into its actions by the madness of the taint.

In that moment, Kael Mahariel of the Sabrie Clan vowed to free the Old God from the chains placed upon it, and to burn away the madness that infested the Archdemon's mind.


	6. Chapter 6: Cruelty

A/N Note: The next installment...and thanks to the people that reviewed. Note: This is going to show Kael's dark side. He has absorbed two demons after all, and has some of the darker characteristics. Disturbing content, although you can do the same thing in the game.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age.

Kael Mahariel stood above the limp body of Connor Guerrin, eyes cold. He pitied the boy, he truly did, but the child needed to die. Once a mage was possessed, they were normally killed at the first opportunity. But for those rare mages who had their connection with the demon cut off from within the Beyond…they suffered a fate far worse than death.

Possession involved the demon rooting itself so deeply inside of the victim's mind and body that the demon could control them. When torn away from the mind they were so deeply entrenched in, it would cause permanent psychological scarring. The demon would also leave massive blank spots in the mind, and left the natural barriers the mind formed against demons in tatters. Those two problems often led to the former abomination being possessed by another demon. To leave the poor soul alive was cruelty beyond measure.

That was why he wouldn't take Jowan's offer, nor make the attempt to get the required lyrium to travel into the Beyond. It would be far safer and more efficient to slay the unfortunate child and deliver a sort of twisted justice to the demon.

Kael knew firsthand from Xebenchek's memories how horrifically painful being torn from a host was.

Just as he prepared to give the child a clean death, a thought came to him. It was undeniably cruel and twisted, and he expected that Alistair, Leliana, and Wynne would be yelling at him when they arrived at camp, he thought it would be the best way to finish this. A mother should always know that her child did not suffer, after all.

"Arlessa Isolde," he called out, "please come here."

Each of his companions started in surprise. It was obvious to them that Kael loathed the Orlesian, and would have gladly sacrificed her for the blood ritual. Only Morrigan seemed to understand what he was doing, if her delighted smirk was any indication.

The Arlessa hesitantly entered the room, her eyes immediately settling on Connor. She ran over to his frozen form- courtesy of Morrigan- and kneeled beside him.

"Arlessa, I have a request to make of you," Kael began in a formal tone, "and it involves your son."

Isolde's eyes lit up in hope, believing the elf had found some way to save her little boy. Kael continued,

"He cannot be saved. Should he live, he would be in a far worse state than he is in now. What I ask of you is simple, and will alleviate any concerns over whether Connor will suffer."

Although Isolde had visibly drooped, she still seemed hopeful when she heard that Connor might not suffer. Kael very nearly grinned sadistically when he thought of destroying that false hope. Instead of suggesting some rare magical cure she had never heard of, he pulled out a long knife, intricately adorned with Dalish characters. He gazed at the blade in fondness, before handing it to the Orlesian. Hopefully, this would be the last time a shemlin ever touched the very nearly sacred relic. That blade dated back to Arlathan, and was given to Marethari before he left with Duncan.

Isolde merely gazed at the blade in fear and confusion.

Kael rolled his eyes and sneered inwardly. Honestly, he was offering the blade to her hilt first; it wasn't like he was threatening her at knife-point. He decided to give her a little extra persuasion. If she didn't understand this rather blunt method, the legendary cunning of Orlesian ladies had obviously not been inherited.

"Take the dagger, Arlessa."

The Orlesian took the blade hesitantly; although Kael was sure she had some sort of skill with a dagger. She was Orlesian, after all.

"Listen carefully, Arlessa," he appropriately changed his voice into a comforting, pitying tone, "Connor must die. And although it would be simple for me to do that horrific deed, I believe you would be better off knowing that he didn't suffer. Don't you agree?"

Isolde nodded slowly, obviously not understanding just what the elf was suggesting.

"And to make sure that he doesn't suffer, I suggest that you be the one to take him from this world."

The Orlesian froze, feeling rage, fear, and sheer hatred. Kael could simply feel the desire to slay him oozing off of her in waves.

He offered a tearful expression to the Orlesian bitch. Although he could have tampered with her mind, causing her to believe that she had done the right thing, it was infinitely more satisfying to play her into it.

Kael began to feel the desire to scream at him, and mentally prepared himself for the high-pitched screeches.

"HOW DARE YOU SUGGEST SUCH A THING!" Isolde screamed, causing all of his companions to wince. At least those that weren't horrified at what Kael was trying to do. "I would never hurt my darling Connor…" Isolde sobbed pitifully.

Kael put a comforting hand on her shoulder and whispered to her softly, "Please, Arlessa, do it for the boy. Do you believe he would rather some stranger give him the mercy of death, or his own mother, who would willingly give her life for him. Connor would take no comfort from a stranger giving him his mercy, believing it to be someone doing it because it was necessary, not because they loved him."

The elf continued, seeing as Isolde's walls were breaking.

"He would know that the person who loved him most would give him the mercy, despite how difficult it must be for that person. Please, Arlessa, take the course Connor would wish of you."

Isolde released a piteous wail before taking the dagger. She was sobbing miserably as she raised it above her beloved son.

That was when Kael released the boy. Connor no longer saw through the burning violet eyes of the demon, but through his own dark ones.

_At least the last thing the boy saw was his mother_, Kael thought.


	7. Chapter 7: Fighting the Mentor

**A/N: Here's the next chapter of Kael's story. Sorry for the wait. I promise that the next update will be much quicker. Hopefully.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age.**

Kael grunted as he flew into a rotting tree, the impact making him see stars. He groaned as he stood up, picking his discarded weapons up as he did so. The elf stumbled back towards the intense fight, wincing slightly as he saw Alistair thrown into a separate tree.

He saw Sten charging the powerful beast they were fighting, only to suffer a similar fate. Unlike Alistair and himself, however, Sten didn't get up. The elf cursed, and rushed at the beast. If his allies continued to be beaten around like this, it wouldn't matter if he had Wynne with him. Although her healing abilities were simply incredible, something even Kael admitted, she couldn't just revive them every time they were knocked unconscious. That took a good amount of power, after all, and with the shields and constant healing the old hag was doing, her reserves would be completely drained in just a few minutes.

Unfortunately, that meant Kael might have to use his own power to succeed in this fight. He dearly wished that he had Morrigan with him, as the witch had far more raw power than Wynne, but she couldn't come to this fight. It wouldn't do for the group to slay Asha'bellanar and then be rewarded by having one of their most powerful members possessed by the same being.

Not that he would ever believe he could truly kill Asha'bellanar, of course. If he had thought it was actually possible to slay his old teacher, he wouldn't have gone anywhere near the cottage he had spent three years at. But merely delaying her was fair game. In truth, Kael knew it was no more possible to kill Asha'bellanar than it was to kill him.

They were tied to the Beyond, and would simply exist as spirits and demons do, wandering the world or the Beyond at their leisure. There were a thousand ways to bring them back, to tie them into a physical body once more, and Kael was quite certain Asha'bellanar would have prepared at least several of these ways. The cunning old woman never left anything to chance, so she probably had a dozen back up plans, each more intricate than the last. Since the only way to kill either Asha'bellanar or himself was through completely destroying their souls, he doubted either of them would have lasting damage from this battle.

Kael also knew that she wouldn't dare to kill him, despite the fact she knew that he wouldn't truly die. He had been an important part of her schemes throughout the recent years, after all. Kael wouldn't be surprised if she hadn't counted upon him being a Grey Warden and fighting the Blight. Asha'bellanar had an uncanny sense of knowing things she shouldn't, as he had learned.

To kill him would be to temporarily leave Ferelden to Alistair…and Kael believed that Asha'bellanar didn't want Ferelden destroyed. She wasn't some sort of evil psychopath that did everything for fun, and enjoyed seeing rampant destruction. Well, she did like seeing rampant destruction, but he had learned that Asha'bellanar always had a reason for everything. A permanently Tainted Ferelden would be completely pointless.

All of those were reasons why he was currently getting his sorry ass handed to him by his old teacher. He had no doubt that she would throw the fight in his favor, but only after he had shown his full power to his companions. After that, she would happily dance away in spirit form, ecstatic at causing awkward situations for Kael and then begin making even more plots.

Kael shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. If he was thinking the words happily and dance in the same sentence with Asha'bellanar in it, he had hit his head much harder than he thought.

With his mind clear, he leapt back into the fray, happily noticing that Asha'bellanar had blown a spurt of white-hot flames at Wynne. The elf sighed in disappointment when Wynne managed to conjure a shield just in time to not be burned, but remained focused on his task.

Kael held both Starfang and Duncan's sword, which he had recovered in Ostagar, and edged away to Asha'bellanar's vulnerable underbelly. Channeling power into his limbs, he rolled under the High Dragon's stomach and drove his blades into the soft flesh. In order to draw the old woman's attention even further, Kael twisted the blades and stood, driving them in even further. The Dalish closed his eyes as dark blood poured out of the deep wounds, showering him in the slick substance.

Kael quickly pulled out his blades as he heard Asha'bellanar's roar of agony and rolled out from under the dragon, just in time to avoid being crushed as she dropped to the ground. The Dalish reacted quickly and tried to climb up her side, but was struck by a powerful blow from her tail. He was thrown twenty feet and curled up as best he could in order to stay safe. The impact still stunned him, and he was sure that at least one of his ribs was broken, but he wasn't gravely wounded. Through the stars he was seeing, he saw both Alistair and Sten charge the wounded dragon.

The elf attempted to stand up again, but was still too dizzy. He watched and cursed as Alistair tried to smite the dragon, only to be badly burned by the heat of her fire. The second Warden was definitely out of the fight, and Kael could tell that Wynne was barely able to keep the templar alive. Sten tried to circle around the dragon, but Asha'bellanar had anticipated the move. The Qunari was quickly kicked by a draconic leg, and received a burst of fire aimed at him in midair.

Watching as Asha'bellanar began to walk over to the healer, his old teacher's face in a vicious parody of a smile, Kael realized he had to do something. Reaching for his power, he began to focus on the torrent of blood gushing out of Asha'bellanar's stomach. With a muttered spell, the blood magic took hold. Kael watched with a sadistic grin as the blood began to rush into the wound and heal the gaping hole. Asha'bellanar stopped her advances on Wynne and looked confused before the truth dawned on her. When the draconic head turned to look at Kael, he gave her a cheery wave and finished the incantation. The dragon let out a roar filled with agony as the blood that Kael returned to her began to boil, burning her organs badly.

Kael channeled more power into his body, restoring himself to the pinnacle of health. Despite the euphoria that he had managed to temporarily beat back Asha'bellanar, he still noted the massive drain on his power from that move. It seemed that he was in worse shape than he'd thought.

As he ran at that injured dragon, he raised his two blades. Kael knew he could win; he had more raw power than Asha'bellanar, considering he'd absorbed two powerful demons, but he needed to be wary of any tricks. Although he knew they wouldn't be lethal, his old teacher would find it quite amusing to leave him in great pain.

Kael heard the dragon roar as he was within ten feet of her, and he, using his magically enhanced muscles, leapt at her, preparing to dig his blades into her side and climb up the massive beast. He cursed himself as he saw a great golden glow surround the beast; he should have expected that trick. Kael braced himself as he flew through empty space and landed heavily on the soft, muddy ground. The elf spun around just in time to see a rather annoyed looking Asha'bellanar standing up and brushing the mud off of her robes. She glares at him with the same golden gaze Morrigan had, and he shivers despite himself.

"You always were a fast learner, child. I should have expected you wouldn't show what you can do."

The Dalish raised an eyebrow. "Of course, Asha'bellanar. Why would I ever show you what I can do when you already know? Was it not you who said that parading around your talents like an idiot noble was pointless and vain?"

To his surprise, Asha'bellanar laughed at his statement, although it wasn't a particularly kind laugh.

"You know very well what I mean, little elf. Always more cunning then my daughter, always understanding my motivations and mind better, always the perfect student. It's a shame that you were entranced by dear Morrigan's wish to kill her dear old mother."

Kael couldn't help but chuckle like that. The fact Asha'bellanar could say that she Morrigan's "dear old mother" with a straight face was amazing. It was a well-known fact between the three of them that Morrigan was torn between hating her mother and loving her dearly. She leaned towards the hating bit most of the time.

"Asha'bellanar, I'm deeply offended by the fact that you believe me to be attempting to kill you. You know as well as I do that you would never _die _by any means I possess. If I actually thought you would die, I never would have come here."

The elf recoiled a bit at the delighted smile on the old woman's face. Those grins always spelled trouble for him.

"I am interested by your decision to use the so-called dark magic. When you left here, boy, you had vowed to never use it." She stared at Kael with the same interested smile. "Have you finally overcome your aversion to the most powerful kind of magic?"

"Yes," Kael says, allowing his own violet gaze to burn as he stares at her, "this is a war, and blood magic is power. I mean," the elf inclines his head at the old woman, "my favorite spell, which is quite nice compared to the others, managed to bring you out of the fight for awhile."

"You always were…adaptive," Asha'bellanar mused. "Now…shall we put on a show for your companions?"

Kael smiled fiercely and nodded. He fully expected Asha'bellanar to stay in her human form. Although the old woman didn't show it, his blood boiling spell had hurt her quite badly. It didn't hurt that he had fought with her often during his training.

His amused smile transformed into a scowl as Asha'bellanar let off a quick arcane missile. The bloody things didn't do much damage normally, but the old witch had a bad habit of dramatically overpowering her spells to the point an arcane missile could easily kill an ordinary shemlin. He dodged it easily and threw a fireball back.

Kael instantly began to dodge the plethora of interesting spells and curses she threw back at him. While dodging erratically, he slowly made his way forward in an attempt to trap her. When her spells ceased momentarily, he took the opportunity to cast an anti-magic glyph in her direction. A frustrated curse from the old woman told him that it had worked.

He knew that the old woman, in her centuries of experience, would tear down the glyph in a heartbeat, so he moved quickly. The elf ran towards her, throwing arcane missiles, hexes and primal spells in seemingly random patterns. While the old woman was distracted, Kael began to creep even closer.

The elf counted himself very lucky that he had already injured her badly. Healing had never been one of Asha'bellanar's strong suits, even if she could force enough raw power into a body to heal it. She had evidently tired herself out with her powerful spells, and couldn't do nearly as much as she should have been. Not that he believed she was anywhere near weak enough to not be able to fight him. Asha'bellanar had far too much power for a wound to stop her.

Kael drew within fifteen feet of her when she began to laugh. He slowed down, unnerved by the woman's mirth. Although she wouldn't truly die, his teacher had told him what a pain it was to get resurrected. He expected her to be mildly annoyed, if nothing else.

While he was slowed down, he looked for his glyph. When he saw nothing of it, he realized that he'd been tricked. He accepted the pain that he knew would come. It's not as if it would be lethal, after all.

He stared at Asha'bellanar as she threw a paralyzing glyph at him before he could react, and watched as she threw her hands at him while chanting a spell. Kael groaned; she was still trying to force him to show his true powers. Kael watched as Sten rose up in the background and stumbled towards the old woman, Asala raised high in the air. That was the last thing he saw before the spell was pulled into reality.

A column of arcane fire formed over him, and he felt his Warden-Commander armor begin to melt. Kael barely managed to throw down an anti-magic glyph before the inferno reached down upon him. He sighed in relief as the glyph caused the magical fire to fizzle into nothingness.

When the burning heat disappeared, he glared at Asha'bellanar, his anger causing his eyes to flicker purple. Kael hadn't expected a spell of that power. If he didn't know how valuable he was to his old mentor, he would almost say she was going for the kill.

He kept some of his power flowing to the glyph. To be honest, he still feared Asha'bellanar more than anything, even the Archdemon. The Archdemon was a godlike force of Tainted darkness and insanity, but it was predictable. The Tainted God hardly had any more cunning than a beast, and only directed its will upon the darkspawn through its vast power.

Asha'bellanar, on the other hand, possessed cunning that would match a demon's, and had the power and experience to back that cunning up. It didn't help that he knew- rather personally, in fact- that she was more cruel than any darkspawn could ever hope to be.

Kael shook himself out of his thoughts. He had been rather unprofessional in this fight, allowing his thoughts to distract him. It was time to end this before either he or his companions were too seriously injured. A fireball thrown at him by his old mentor only reinforced this course of action.

Letting go of his restraints, Kael felt his inner demons crack through his mind. Although he remained in control, his mental processes became more primitive, and he began to release the demonic presence into the air around him. The only physical aspect of him that was changed was his eyes, one of which became a furious violet, and one of which became a cold gold, identical to Asha'bellanar's.

He turned to face his mentor and prepared himself as she clapped. An amused smile adorned the old woman's face. The Dalish snarled at her before charging.

This charge was similar to the last one he had made, although Asha'bellanar was unleashing far more powerful spells. A lightning bolt crackled towards him, and he smelled ozone as he barely dodged the electricity. In response, Kael conjured grease at the old witch, smiling as she didn't pull up a shield in time.

When the witch prepared to throw some sort of curse or hex at him, Kael put his plan into action. He instantly summoned a flame blast, and watched with glee as a raging inferno erupted around him.

Kael summoned an arcane shield around him, and slowly began moving into the flames. He could hardly see through the fire, and was relying on memory to move through the crackling flames.

After nearly a minute of wading through the flames, hoping to catch Asha'bellanar off guard, he felt a surge of magic rush through the air. His eyes widened when he felt icy tendrils of mana extend into the air, preparing to unleash a storm of magical power. The elf barely had a second to prepare himself before the spell came into being.

Kael was forced to pour his power into the shield to keep it from crumbling under the power of the magical storm Asha'bellanar had summoned. Most mages were too weak to summon this powerful combination of the most dangerous spells in the primal college of magic, known as the Storm of the Century.

When the Storm refused to abate and his shields began to crumble into nothingness, Kael prepared to release the shield. It was useless now anyways, considering that Asha'bellanar would easily slip past it. Without hesitation, Kael dropped the shield and began to summon an anti-magic glyph.

Unfortunately for Kael, the few seconds needed to form the glyph was all his old mentor needed to strike. A massive draconic head, as large as Kael's wiry frame, lunged towards him with gaping jaws. It was all he saw before the dagger-like teeth grabbed onto his armor and threw him up into the air like a ragdoll. The Dalish heard the shouts of his companions as he was sent flying. It all seemed surreal to him, as though it weren't truly happening.

That feeling of dreaminess ended rather abruptly when the elf began to heed gravity's call. The heavy armor he was wearing dragged him down quickly, and all Kael could see were the wide jaws of Asha'bellanar directly beneath him. He prepared himself for the impact moments before it happened.

Kael closed his eyes in revulsion as he went down his mentor's massive throat, and he wondered what in the name of Falon'din the old woman was playing at. He hesitated when he realized that he had no way of getting out of the disgusting insides of the dragon without magic. Both of his swords had presumably been lost during his fall, and his other weapons were all at camp.

He sighed when he realized what Asha'bellanar was forcing him to do. Since she couldn't kill him, she was putting him into a highly uncomfortable position instead.

Although the more brutal part of his mind was demanding that he blast a hole through her stomach and tear her organs out, Kael came up with a more…elegant solution. Hopefully, it would keep too many questions from being asked.

Kael began to focus on the powerful heart beat of the dragon. Closing his eyes, he let his magic spread throughout the dragon and ignored the disgusting conditions that he was currently in. He felt the dragon stiffen, and began his incantation.

As his magic began to be focused into the heart of the dragon, Kael began to force his will into the blood that was continuously being pumped through the massive organ. With as loud a yell as he could muster, Kael finished his incantation. He felt his blood form into pure power, power that no ordinary mortal to possess. Slowly, seeking to use his mentor's lessons against her, he forced the additional power into the heart of the dragon.

When he had finally drained himself, he spoke the final word of the dark spell. Kael listened gleefully at the screams of agony that the dragon produced as its heart began to pump boiling blood throughout the gargantuan body.

When the convulsions started, he realized that he hadn't thought this through very well. Although his companions wouldn't have hard evidence of his real power, he would probably be injured in some way when this ended. A particularly hard convulsion slammed him painfully against something hard. Kael assumed that Asha'bellanar had fallen over.

When the tremors stopped, and the massive draconic body had gone lax, Kael began to follow his brutal side and blasted his way out of the dragon's torso. When he collapsed onto the blood-drenched grass, he finally gave into his own desire and began to vomit. The insides of dragons definitely did not smell very good.

Kael, exhausted both magically and physically, saw Starfang impaled upon the ground several feet away. He stumbled towards it and yanked it out of the ground, taking comfort in the shining blade. Wanting to finish off Asha'bellanar for now, the Dalish elf limped over to the dragon's head, not noticing that the eyes were glaring at him intently.

The elf lowered the point of Starfang onto the top of the dragon's head and raised the glimmering blade, prepared to end this fight. The second he did so, his old teacher took her last chance at making things difficult for him, and struck faster than the eye could see. Kael screamed in agony as he felt a long, viciously curved fang tear through his armor and plunge into his torso.

Thankfully, no other teeth managed to get through, although there would be a long row of dents on the armor. Despite his pain and numerous injuries, Kael managed to stab Asha'bellanar in the eye with blind luck. The old witch reared back, spurted a blast of flame, and finally collapsed. Kael smiled, and ignored the shouts of his companions as blackness consumed his vision and the exhausted, battered elf fell into unconsciousness.

A/N: Sorry if the last part was a bit rushed. I honestly couldn't right any more of that.


	8. Chapter 8: Fall of Urthemiel

A/N: Sorry for the long wait. Just got caught up in school and sports, and might have been a little bit lazy. So, anyways, here's the next chapter.

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragon Age.

At the top of Fort Drakon, underneath the dark clouds that accompanied the Blight, Kael gazed at the tainted Old God. The once majestic being, now a perversion of the Blight, had fallen to its stomach. Its blank white eyes glared balefully at him, as though willing for him to burst into flames.

The Dalish just sent a pitying stare back, before drawing Starfang and Duncan's Dagger. It was time to fulfill that promise he'd made to himself during his Joining. Just as he prepared to run at the fallen dragon, an armored hand grabbed him.

Kael turned around to glare at Loghain. "What in Andruil's name are you doing? I need to finish this!"

Loghain glared back. "Let me take the blow. You," the older shemlin said, "have an entire life in front of you, and a thousand more deeds to add to your name. I'm nothing more than old man that wants his redemption."

The elf's mind grew even tense as he observed Loghain. He knew that the old shemlin desired his redemption in the hearts of his people more than anything else, and would not be above lightly injuring Kael in order to gain it.

Normally, Kael wouldn't willingly commit a deed that would result in whatever perversion his soul had become being destroyed. But this…this was a Blight. This was the very personification of primordial evil. Should he destroy the cursed plague, his name, and that of the Dalish, would be written in history forever. The personal slaying of the Archdemon by a Dalish elf could bring goodwill to his people; even gain them their own lands if he played it right.

Loghain would not take that honor from him.

"I'm sorry, Loghain, but you'll have to find your redemption somewhere else. Maybe we'll meet again in front of my Creators and your Maker." Kael said calmly. When he saw Loghain's icy eyes widen in panic, in pure fear of his redemption being denied, the elf threw a weak sleep spell at him. It would keep him down for a few seconds. Just enough for him to charge Urthemiel.

With that, and a quick scan of the area to make sure his companions and warriors were occupied fighting off the latest wave of the spawn, Kael ran at the Archdemon.

Idly, he wondered when he crossed the entire tower. He remembered scoring a good hit on the vulnerable underbelly of the beast, and then he seemed to have magically transported to the other end of the tower.

Those thoughts flew from his mind as he raised Starfang. Duncan's blade was sheathed. He truly hated running with both weapons drawn, it just felt awkward to the elf.

As Kael drew near, the Archdemon blew black and purple fire in a last effort to destroy the elf. Kael cursed as the magical, Tainted flames seared his right arm, easily burning through the enchanted leather and the delicate flesh beneath. He grimaced in pain as his right arm turned black. He wouldn't be using that arm anytime soon, which meant he wouldn't be able to use Duncan's dagger.

Kael manipulated the mana inside of his body as another burst of flames flashed towards him, and still barely managed to dodge the torrent of fire. His enhanced body began to block out some of the debilitating pain that was arising from nerves that hadn't been completely incinerated. A small grin played out on the elf's face as he drew within striking distance of the great beast, and slid on the blood-slicked stone as the Archdemon struck.

He smelled the rancid breath that accompanied the beast's open mouth, which reeked of death and decay.

He saw the massive, curved fangs that were longer than his forearm.

He heard the Archdemon's roar of pure agony and madness.

He felt its blood burning through his leather like acid, felt the heat of the Tainted flame as it burst over his head.

Kael gave a wild grin as Starfang tore through the Archdemon's neck, dousing him in the disgusting tar-like blood. His grin turned to a grimace of agony as the blood began eating through the high-quality Dalish leather. Even if he'd drunk the blood of a normal darkspawn that damned Chalice had only a single drop of an Archdemon's blood inside of it.

The sheer power of the Taint and the oily darkness inside of the blood that he was dripping with was nearly driving him mad. He could hear the Song of the Old Gods that only old Wardens could hear, and immediately understood its lure. It was calling for him, reaching out and grasping his very soul.

Kael nearly lost himself to the Song, forgetting what he needed to do. It wasn't until some of the acidic blood began to burn into his flesh that he remembered, the pain pulling his rationality back.

The Dalish elf spun Starfang as he walked over to the Archdemon's massive head. He noticed that the blade's normal hue was indistinguishable underneath the inky black blood of the Tainted God before him. He dearly hoped that his beautiful weapon wouldn't become infused with the Taint, becoming a weapon as potent- and abominable- as Blightblood.

He heard labored breathing as he used his one arm to raise the black blade over the Archdemon's skull. Kael winced in discomfort as he lowered the point onto the Old God's head. It truly was difficult to do this with only one arm.

Finally, he arranged his blade to his satisfaction, and prepared to slay the Archdemon. With a loud yell, he raised Starfang and plunged it through the beast's head, rupturing its skull.

For a second after he heard the Archdemon's final, agonized scream, he thought that nothing would happen; that it didn't matter that he had refused Morrigan's aid.

Then light burst out of the Archdemon's infernal corpse. Kael almost smiled as the power first arose, lighting a beacon of hope into the sky for every fighter. His smile only grew as the power began to swirl around his skin, giving off a comforting warmth.

But as the power began to burn through his skin, tearing through each and every one of his cells and leaving it lifeless, he felt a deep fear. His mouth opened in a soundless scream as the pain grew more and more intense, becoming far worse than anything he had experienced before.

By the Creators, his panicked mind thought, merging with a demon didn't hurt this badly!

Finally, after what felt like years of agony, the power penetrated deep into his core. For a moment, the pain stopped and he felt nothing but a curious, joyful presence. Kael couldn't describe the feeling of pure power he felt for that single second. It was as though he could do anything with a mere thought, wipe the Taint from the land effortlessly and laugh as the beauty of nature bloomed in its absence.

Then the light exploded in a shockwave, the power tearing through Kael's shattered body and core. Kael felt a single second of agonizing pain rushing through him before the shockwave began to dissipate.

As the last particles of the power rushed into him, he felt his soul being torn from his body. All went black.

He burned. Power covered him, waxing and waning with every…second, minute, hour? Eternity? None of these things meant anything to him. Images flashed before him, showering him with faces and scenes that he couldn't put a name to.

He was broken, that was all he knew. Two layers of light, the first glowing a bright, fiery purple, and the second glowing a deep, molten gold covered his form. They seemed to fill the holes inside of him, bringing intrusions into his confused mind.

The lights warred with each other for dominance, barely registering his presence. He watched on as they mixed with each other, flooding as many of the vacancies inside of him as they could. When the purple light seemed to win, he felt nothing but pure, unadulterated desire. He wanted to find mortals awash in their lust for power, land, and wealth. He could give them whatever they wanted, only asking for a small bit in return.

Then the golden light angrily purged the purple light from him, settling itself deep into him. He felt pride flood through him, empowering him as it merged with him. He felt the power flow through him, slowly restoring his form to its previous, glorious self. When he returned to…somewhere…he would force the pathetic mortals to acknowledge his great power and glory. He had slain…something important, they would do nothing to stop him from conquering their primitive societies, too awed by his might to resist!

A feeling of contentment swept through him as thoughts of power ran through his head. Then the violet light began to flood out the golden light, bringing him back to desire. Then gold regained dominance, bringing back his pride.

The cycle for power repeated endlessly, for how long he had no idea. He was merely an onlooker in his own form. Time no longer meant anything to him.

As he endlessly transitioned from desire, to pride, to that brief, glorious moment of rationality in which he was able to immerse himself in the images, he wondered why he was here. He was so sure he needed to do something…something important. Something that could not wait for anything. For a moment, he saw a fleeting glimpse of a massive form, with soulless blank eyes, oversized fangs, and a flesh-like hide.

Then the gold flooded him again. When his confused rationality returned, he remembered that people needed him…he saw faces flash through his mind.

A tiny woman with pointed ears, large green eyes, and a lost expression. Another woman, similar to the first but slightly taller with blonde hair and robes. A beautiful woman with red hair and blue eyes. A lithe, tan man with the same pointed ears as the woman, with a smirk and sense of danger around him. A massive man with violet eyes, bronze skin and white hair.

For a moment, he thinks he remembers them, only to have it slip away. His shattered form glows in irritation. Then the lights resume their perpetual war with each other, leaving him to vanish into the powerful emotions.

After a dozen more of the cycles, and an ever-expanding list of faces and places that he can't remember, he senses something else enter his small area. He sees it as a blindingly white light, tipped with icy blue particles and with a core of a soft gold. It was a thousand times more beautiful than his own weak golden glow or the harsh colors of the lights fighting over his shattered form and mind. It gave off a feeling of indescribable power, and gave off a sense of safety and comfort.

It slowly grew closer, its tantalizing strength nearing his own form. He observes the golden and purple lights react defensively, working together to make a layer of power. It moved closer as it seemed to sense the lights, and rushed at him.

The lights fled from it, staying on his body and making a thin layer over his skin. It merged with him just as the lights had, but instead of overwhelming him, it healed him. Slowly, he felt himself pull back together, bringing his mind back.

It melted into the holes, and instead of simply filling them like the lights- now docile- had, it became him. It slowly merged with his own form, which he now saw as a weakly glowing sphere, no longer riddled with holes but strong and smooth.

He now sensed something else within the power. It was something so alien, yet familiar. It was a consciousness of unsurpassed power, something that had once Called him.

As soon as he sensed the intelligence driving the power, it vanished. He decided to discover whatever it was later, when he was in a less urgent position.

He felt gleeful as the last of the holes was filled, and the power brought the last piece of his shattered form back into place. The memories that had been rushing through him before now made sense. He recognized each of the faces he had first seen clearly.

Merrill. Lanaya. Leliana. Zevran. Sten. All of his friends…or people he respected. The final thing he remembered was his name: he was Kael Mahariel, Warrior and Hunter of the Dalish, Champion of Redcliffe, Discoverer of Andraste's Ashes, and Grey Warden.

After the last holes were filled, he felt the power intertwine with his form, threading his now pulsing golden form with blue and white threads. The consciousness that hid within the power was tethered to him by a single strand of power, and he could see it as a small, pure white orb.

He was unable to get a good look at it before the power flooded through him, filling him with that same feeling of strength he had as the soul of the Old God was released.

Kael's mind made a few theories, but he resolved to think about this at a later time. At the moment, he felt a tug in the center of his form. A flash blinded him, and the tug grew stronger. When it ended, he was standing at the top of Fort Drakon, surrounded by activity.

Curious, the elf noticed that none saw him, although he was standing in plain view. He looked himself over, making sure there was no magic concealing him, and noticed that he was naked.

Kael blushed slightly, and silently wished for his familiar leather armor. He jumped when it appeared on him. The elf then wished for his old Dar'Missan, which he quickly sheathed.

Too confused to ponder his new ability, Kael wandered throughout the bustle of people. Some were clearly servants, as they were holding cleaning supplies and scrubbing the firmly ingrained darkspawn blood from the rough stone. Others were obviously warriors, grim-faced and scanning the area with paranoid eyes.

Kael swept through the crowd, searching for anyone he knew. He thought he saw a familiar face flash through the crowd several times, although they always disappeared when he tried to find them again. For a few minutes he simply wandered, observing the aftermath of the battle.

Although the damage was great, it was nowhere near as bad as he thought it would be. In the battle, flaming wreckage and ravaged corpses had been strewn everywhere, blocking streets and generally causing mayhem. Now that the wreckage had been cleaned up and the bodies removed, the sprawling city appeared scarred, yet recovering.

The elf wandered over to the dais where he had slain the Archdemon. He wondered if the draconic corpse had been left there, or if it had been burned like the bodies of the spawn. As he wandered through the crowd, not noticing that the shemlin he neared shivered in discomfort, he saw the familiar chevalier armor of Loghain. The old warrior appeared to be directing something, and Kael's jaw dropped when he saw what was going on.

The Archdemon – still its familiar, rotted purple – was surrounded by warriors and mages wearing Grey Warden armor and robes. His Brothers and Sisters were making numerous gashes along the beast's massive hide and draining the black ichor from the wounds. As soon as the blood drained into one of the massive dragonbone barrels the Wardens had set up, the mages began to weave complicated enchantments over the blood, freezing it in time.

Loghain was directing their movements, although he appeared to simply be repeating what a lightly built Warden was saying to him. The elf had to admit that the Warden was intelligent, Loghain had a presence that dominated most and compelled you to do whatever he said.

Kael spent several hours watching the Wardens expertly harvest the Archdemon for leather, fangs, scales, and blood. He doubted his clan could have stripped the titanic corpse down so quickly. After just a few hours, the fallen God had been reduced to a black, bloody carcass.

Only the thick bones and flesh were left, and Kael was sure they were only left because night had fallen. Tomorrow, he was sure that the Wardens would return for the bones.

He was all alone now, and he took a moment to observe Denerim as it fell into darkness. A sad smile was on his face as he gazed at the ruined, black husks of the buildings.

Kael turned around and walked over to the massive carcass of the god. He laid a hand on the massive, rotting hide and almost wished for the familiarity of the Taint to rush through him. It seemed that nothing was familiar anymore. The elf sighed and sat down, laying his head on the side of the great beast.

He closed his eyes, and merely thought of his decisions and companions. The elf slept for a long time before his reverie was interrupted by a soft, musical voice. "Kael Mahariel, I must thank you for your actions."

Kael's eyes snapped open, and his hand moved to his blade. He looked at the speaker, and was quite surprised at what he saw. Instead of a shemlin, there was the most beautiful elven woman he'd ever seen. She was wearing a huntress' outfit, and she seemed to never look the same. When he stared at her, her appearance seemed to be constantly changing.

He shook himself out of his thoughts and greeted her. "Aneth ara, friend. May I know how you are able to see me? Your identity would also be nice to know."

She nods, and sits down next to him. The woman noticed that he didn't loosen his grip on the curved blade.

"I can see you because we are connected, you and I. We are bound to each other, and no power may separate us. I am a part of you, and you are a part of me."

"As vague and cryptic as that was," Kael said, "I suppose I understand. As for your identity…"

She smiled. Kael shuddered slightly. This reminded him far too much of his interactions with spirits and demons, immortal beings that couldn't possibly relate to mortals. Just being around this woman gave Kael the feeling that she was infinitely more complex and powerful than a mere spirit, who could only embody a single emotion or concept.

"I am Urthemiel, Old God and the very incarnation of beauty. Although," she sighed, "I was previously corrupted by the Taint, twisted creation that it is."

Kael couldn't say he was surprised. He supposed that she was that tiny, pure orb of light that was connected to him. The elf simply shrugged and said, "It was my duty, and fulfilled the oath I had made to free your soul from the Taint's madness."

The elf looked down at his unscarred, untouched hands. "Although it was never my intention to return as…whatever I am now. I had expected for both of us to be completely destroyed, annihilated from both this world and the next."

"In a way, Kael, we are. Neither of us is truly living, nor are we dead. You keep me alive and stable in this world, as the demons do yours. My soul is bound to yours, and yours is bound to the demons that you have mastered."

Kael cocked an eyebrow. "So we are both mere parasites, relying on the life force of malevolent spirits? How comforting."

"Nevertheless," the elf said as he noticed the sun rising, "I suppose we should make the best of this situation. Would you like to join me at my funeral? I'm sure it will be in a few days."


End file.
